‘She’s such a live wire! Who’s she?’ this was my question when I first time attended a networking event arranged by MBOT (Mississauga Board of Trade) and saw JoAnne (a vital part of ‘World Financial Group’) actively participating there. It was really fortunate of me to get her know and generous of her to give us an appointment for a telephonic interview.
Next day we placed a question sheet in front and dialed JoAnne’s number. She didn’t take much time for picking up our call. After a casual chit chat we formally started our candid session. Dreams always play a noteworthy role in everyone’s life, but JoAnne is one of those who knit their future by the strings of reality. ‘I am not doing the work I dreamed about, as this is not the industry I ever thought I would be working in, but I love my work!! All I can say is keep your options open because you never know!!’ she defined when we asked about her dream job.
While talking about her leisure activities she gave us few details ‘I don’t mind my alone time, as I deal with people a lot. I like having good food with friends, either at home or out. I go back to Montreal as often as possible, as this is where I moved from 11 years ago. Travel is huge on my to (always) do list’. We further asked about the definition of failure to her. She took a pause and replied ‘To me failure is when someone has given up on their dreams. One should always get to work and make it happen. There will be ups and downs no matter what you do or where you are in life. Don’t quit on yourself or those who believe in you.
We also asked about her experience of being MBOT’s ambassador. She replied ‘I love being an Ambassador with MBOT. I have never had a problem socializing/networking and I find great pleasure in helping others feel comfortable meeting new people and helping them connect. I like making sure members realize that they still have to work on their end to make the MBOT membership beneficial to them.’ To a question about expectations from life, she answered ‘I can honestly say I have achieved much, much more than I ever dreamed. Not that I want to wish time away, but I am very excited by the idea of taking off in a few years to help, hands-on, in a third world country, for a few months at a time. I have achieved, and most importantly, still am achieving and doing things I never thought possible, thanks mostly to the 180 degree career change I made a few years back’. ‘Looking back, what initiative you want to alter?’ we asked. It’s hard to say I’d want to alter something, because if it hadn’t happened I would not be where I am now. Which is such a good place for me that, although there were a few things that could have been skipped, but not really, because they all made me what I am and how I feel today.’ she responded. JoAnne considers her parents as the ideal in her life; In the end of interview she shared ‘ Parents set the best examples of do what you say you will do, be responsible for ALL your actions, work hard, and do unto others as you want them to do to you. In our company, there are many people I admire for various reasons, but my parents still support any decisions I make, whether they approve or not. I admire and respect them immensely’.
If we got to define JoAnne then we’d say ‘She’s a perfect combination of confidence and humbleness’. We loved doing her telephonic interview and hope to meet her in next MBOT event.
Written by: Unosha Shahid